Maribor ended up on the itinerary list because it is in one of two Nomadmania regions in Slovenia that you can cross out. Since Ljubljana was already the default city to visit in the other region, Maribor, being the main city in the east, was chosen for convenience. Besides, I also needed to split the trips in half so they wouldn’t be longer than 2 or 3 hours so a stopover here was convenient. I guess this has been my first legit chill weekend because I arrived here on a Saturday and had basically two mornings and afternoons free. Given there isn’t much to see, I used the opportunity to rest and slow down a bit.
Arriving on a Saturday, I had to wait for my hotel to let me check in because I arrived a little close to lunch time. It was the perfect opportunity to catch up on some blog entries and pending work. After checking in, I found out that the Maribor Regional Museum which now occupies one of two castles in the city is open until 6 PM. Why not go? And so I did. Admission fee is EUR8 (~PHPH475) which I wasn’t too stingy to let go because I am curious about this town and the best answer to that curiosity is a history refresher in a museum.
The museum does chronicle the history of Maribor since prehistoric times. You know? That first part of the museum with the clay pots and stone weapons. That seems common in all museums, though, because we all came from one ancestor, right? As you go up to the higher floors, Maribor starts to introduce itself and distinguish it from other towns in the area. The displays are interesting and full of imagination. There is also an entire section dedicated to castles alone.
Apparently, the castles here are part of a fortification series that originated in Italy and made it all the way to Austria back in the day. It’s no wonder almost every town and/or city in this area is full of castles! They needed those to drive away the Turks who loved invading them.The upper floor also gives you a nice view of the town square with that weird monument with the church with two towers in the background. That’s where my Saturday stroll ended as it started to rain.
Easter Sunday started late after lunch and was all about hiking. Once I was done devouring my pizza for lunch, I headed north to the huge ass park which hosts three lakes and a hill that is supposed to house one of two Maribor castles. The lakes were tranquil alright but kind of bored me, although I can imagine the locals chilling there after a long day of work given its accessible location right next to the old town. The hill required some hiking which gets challenging as you go higher should you select the non-paved path that is shorter but involves a bit of rock climbing.
Apparently, the hill only houses what is left of the castle in an archaeological dig called Piramida. All you can see now are the bases of the walls in a rather small area. The main attraction up there is the mini altar devoted to the Virgin Mary who has a statue up there overlooking Maribor down below. Yes, there is a small viewing deck with matching binoculars. Your selfie should turn out great if there is someone to take it for you from a higher vantage point and as long as the weather cooperates.
After I got back down, I just took a stroll around the city to explore the bridges over the river Drava. One of the bridges is modern and gives you a good view of the old bridge and old town skyline to the right and the mountains as well as Europark, a shopping mall, to the left. Once you cross that bridge, turn right and let the riverbanks guide you to get a good photo of the old town’s skyline. There is a part of the riverbanks where swans congregate. And then there is a modern out of place green building on the other side too.
The stroll ended at the city’s most picturesque square, the main one, where you will find the Plague Column, a monument with a gilded statue of Mary surrounded by six saints, erected to commemorate the end of the 1680 plague.
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